


A Date to the Ball

by HinataOC



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-16 09:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14808680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HinataOC/pseuds/HinataOC
Summary: Going to be a two part short story.Sora and Kairi have their first mission together to The Castle of Dreams.Mostly drabble with some fluff mixed in.





	1. Chapter 1

A Date to the Ball  
Chapter 1

The cool wind rustled through the trees overhead, picking up the scent of the white blossoms on the branches. Kairi looked up, a sweet smile tipping her lips as she took notice of the thin sun rays peeking through the overbrush. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing all these new worlds.” She spoke up, glancing beside her to Sora, who silently strolled beside her.

He brought his wandering eyes to hers, a smile growing as he agreed, “Yeah. It’s always fun to see what’s out there.”

“I think it’s even more fun to finally go on a mission together.” Kairi added, a light flush warming her face as she noticed Sora’s smile grow into a grin.

“It sure is!” he chimed, completely beaming as he laced his hands behind his neck. “I’ve been begging Master Yen Sid to send us on one for months.”

Kairi giggled, “So I’ve heard.” She looked him over for a moment before looking back forward to their path.

They walked along a dirt road, enjoying a few peaceful moments after completing their mission. It had been a simple task, check on Cinderella, one of the Princess of Hearts, and take care of any possible Heartless around the area. Kairi was still training to become a full fledged Keyblade Master, but was advanced enough to finally be able to go on small missions under supervision. It was still odd to be going from world to world, everything was almost a blur to her. Despite it, she always tried to take the time to enjoy the little moments and find something within each world that she could treasure in her heart.

It wasn’t difficult to find that moment near the Castle of Dreams. Exploring the world with Sora by her side made the mission her most treasured yet. His quips and comments brought a smile to her face without fail, and just his presence alone made even the most mundane tasks enjoyable. There hadn’t been many Heartless for them to deal with, but even so, Sora was sure to stay right by Kairi’s side to make sure she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by anything they encountered. 

“You did great out there today, Kairi!” Sora’s cheery voice interrupted Kairi’s thoughts.

She blinked, getting back to reality as she pushed some loose strands of hair behind her ear. “You really think so? I’m still trying to get used to all the spells Merlin taught me.”

“Yeah, it can be a lot to remember.” Sora nodded with a slight sigh at the memory. “But you’re totally rocking it!” Kairi laughed at his wording as he added. “Like, that big group of Shadows that you took out with Fira? That was quick thinking.”

“Well thanks,” she giggled softly, clasping her hand around her forearm behind her back. “I still have a long way to go, but I’m really enjoying it.”

Sora smiled warmly at her response and then shielded his eyes from the sunlight as they came out of the forest brush. They could see Cinderella’s castle towering in the distance, beyond the intricate black gates they found themselves in front of. Cinderella had requested to speak with them once they were done dealing with the Heartless, but she hadn’t said exactly why. The fully armored guards on either side of the gate hit the ends of their spears on the cobbled stone beneath them. The rattling of thick chains followed their actions as the gate was pulled open, allowing Sora and Kairi through.

Sora sent the guards a slight wave as he led the way into the palace garden. Kairi was close to his side, admiring the shaped hedges and flower beds as they walked along. They were greeted by random people that also walked through the garden, each of them dressed in formal attire, as if preparing for a ball. Sora looked them over, taking notice of Kairi’s eyes lighting up at the women’s dresses. The sight made his heart swell.

He looked away with a chuckle, “Could you imagine wearing one of those dresses?”

“I don’t know if I’d be able to pull any of them off.” She admitted with a sigh, “They’re all so detailed and… poofy.”

“Really poofy.” Sora agreed with a laugh, causing Kairi to join in. “But, uh,” he cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he averted his gaze. “I think you’d look really nice in any of them.”

A dusty rose warmed her cheeks as she darted her eyes up to him in surprise. Her smile grew as she noticed the flush in the tips of his ears and replied, “Well I just might have to try one on while I’m here.”

Sora met his gaze back with hers, their smiles growing the longer they looked at each other. Kairi brought her attention back forward, her eyes wandering around them. Sora’s face warmed the longer he looked at her, really taking in that they were finally together. After so many years of wishing to be by her side, she was right there fighting against the Darkness. Without thinking, he slowly reached his hand over to hers, their fingers brushing together. She reached back for his hand without hesitation, their fingers just beginning to intertwine before they were startled by a blast of trumpets.

“Now announcing,” a loud man’s voice bellowed around them as the castle doors were pulled open, leading into the throne room. “Kairi, the Princess of Hearts! And her companion, Sora!”

Both of them retracted their hands in a rush, a reddened tint permanent on their cheeks. They smiled sheepishly at the crowd of people that stood inside the throne room and made their way inside. The entire floor was a polished marble, with columns leading up into a vaulted ceiling that was covered with a gorgeous painted mural. Thick velvet fabric was draped between the columns, giving the already extravagant room a regal atmosphere.

Kairi leaned over to Sora, speaking through her teeth as she smiled to everyone staring at them. “This wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when Cinderella said she wanted to see us.”

“Just keep smiling,” Sora told her, speaking through his teeth as well.

“There you are!” Cinderella’s sweet voice caught their attention as she walked towards them. Her blonde hair was done up in an intricate bun, not a single loose strand falling over her sparkling blue ball gown. She clasped her hands together in front of her as she greeted them with a smile. “Apologies for the crowd. We’re preparing for a ball tonight.”

“I was wondering if there was a special occasion.” Sora noted, glancing around the throne room. 

“We finished taking out all the Heartless.” Kairi got straight to business, keeping a sweet smile on her face. “Was there anything else you needed?”

“Oh! Why yes, there actually is.” Cinderella chimed as she reached over and grabbed an envelope off of a red velvet pillow a guard was holding for her. She handed to envelope to them, patiently awaiting them as they opened it.

They each held a side as they pulled out the gold lined paper. “The Princess of Hearts and her companion--” Sora stopped reading aloud and muttered, “You know I’m more than just the companion here.”

Kairi giggled, lightly elbowing him before reading the rest, “Are cordially invited to the Ball of Dreams… to celebrate the renewal of our world and the return of the Princesses of Heart…?” She exchanged a look with Sora before looking back up to Cinderella. “A ball?”

Cinderella nodded, explaining, “There hasn’t been a formal celebration for the return of all the Princesses of Heart, and what better way to celebrate than with a ball? Each of the Princesses should be attending and I wanted to make sure I extended an invitation to you as well.”

“I-I’m not sure we have time,” Kairi stammered a bit nervously, looking over to Sora.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking around at the people and remembering the way Kairi’s eyes lit up when she had admired the dresses. Sending Kairi a smirk, he replied, “I think we should stay.” His smirk grew into a grin. “After all, you are one of the Princesses of Heart!”

“But what about Master Yen Sid?” She asked with a hushed voice as if she were worried about getting in trouble.

Sora waved it off, “I’ll give them a call and explain we’ll be staying a bit longer. It’ll be fine!”

“Well… alright,” Kairi’s uneasy smile slowly transformed into a genuine one as she looked back to Cinderella. “We don’t have any fancy clothes, but we’d love to attend!”

“I would be delighted to take care of that!” Fairy Godmother walked up, sending Sora a wink. “After everything Sora’s done, the least I can do is give you proper clothes for tonight’s ball!”

Kairi was barely able to say a word before she was hurried off with Fairy Godmother, leaving Sora behind in the throne room. When they had finally come to a stop, she found herself in a gorgeous powder room. Floral wallpaper covered the wall, with tall oil painted portraits of royal historical figures hung over it. A single chandelier hung from the ceiling, the light emanating from the crystals illuminated the already bright room. Kairi spun around, admiring the beautiful room, before noticing her reflection in the many mirrors that were placed along the walls. Her hair was a mess from the mission and patches of dirt were obvious on the bright pink of her dress. She let out a faint sigh, remorsing the fact that Sora had even seen her like that. 

“Now,” Fairy Godmother’s voice caught her attention. She spun around to see Godmother tapping her thin white wand against her chin as she pondered aloud. “What sort of gown should you have… Pink perhaps?”

Kairi looked down at her already pink outfit and then back up. “Anything would be lovely.”

“No, no, something different… something unique!” She went on, beginning to pace back and forth, paying no mind to Kairi’s words. She suddenly stopped and pointed her wand upwards. “Oh! Here’s an idea!” She turned towards Kairi, “What is Sora’s favorite color?”

“Sora?” Kairi repeated his name, thinking it over. “Blue, I think.”

“Oh yes, yes, blue would be lovely!” Godmother clapped her hands as she scurried over to Kairi. She transformed her wand into a long yellow measuring tape. “Dark blues, and purple to go with your eyes! And a bit more modern so you’ll stand out amongst the crowd!” She stepped back, a glint in her eyes as a sparkling aura began to surround her wand. “Bippity, boppity, boo!”

The aura from the wand shot out and spiraled around Kairi. She gasped, watching it surround her until all she could see was a dense wall of glitter. Within a moment it vanished, as if popping away like a bubble. She suddenly felt rejuvenated and clean, no longer constantly smelling the slightest hint of dirt from previous battles, but instead a flowery fragrance that teased her senses. She could feel the soft curls of her hair around her face before she even turned towards the mirror to see her reflection. A sharp breath escaped her at the sight.

An ornate sparkling clip was in her curled hair, pinning up the pieces that would usually be in her face. She wore her regular necklace, the pearly color of her pendant offsetting against the dark colors of her dress perfectly. The dress itself was strapless and well fitted, a midnight blue to her waist, before changing into various shades of blue fabric that draped over her hips and cascaded to the floor. The bottom was a rich purple, fading into the blues above it. Kairi ran her gloved hand over the soft fabric, noticing the shimmering sparkles that glistened from the slightest movement.

“This…” She whispered, finally finding her voice, “This is breathtaking.” Turning around, she shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

Fairy Godmother simply smiled, letting out a sigh of contentment. “Seeing your reaction is thanks enough, my dear.” Clearing her throat, she straightened herself out. “Now, I must be off to make sure that Sora has something suitable to wear.” Before Kairi could say a word, Godmother disappeared in a sparkling mist. 

Kairi let out a breath once she was gone, realizing she had to find her way back to throne room on her own. She took another look at herself in the mirror, admiring the gown and secretly wondering how Sora would react to seeing her in it. The thought alone brought a flush to her already blushed face. Laughing at herself, she turned and left the room. She wandered through the halls, trying to recollect the way she had been taken initially. Eventually, she ran into a servant and asked them for directions.

After what seemed like an eternity, she opened the doors back into the throne room, but it was empty, spare for a few guards at their post. A huff of breath escaped her, as she crossed her arms. “Well now where do I go?”

“K-Kairi?” Sora’s stammering voice caught her attention.

She looked around for the source of the voice, spotting Sora coming towards her from the other end of the throne room. Her heart jumped when she saw him in a dark suit with blue accents, that matched with her gown perfectly. She beamed a grin, rushing towards him until they could meet in the middle. Both of them looked the other over as they came to a stop in front of each other.

Without thinking, they both began to talk at the same time, “You look---”  
They paused, eyes meeting in surprise before they laughed at themselves.

Sora cleared his throat, reaching forward for one of Kairi’s hands. He looked down at it in his own, a soft smile on his lips. “Kairi…” he swallowed hard, brining his gaze back to hers. “You look amazing.”

Kairi could feel her heart melting from the mere look in his eyes, she had to stop herself from vaulting herself into his arms for an embrace. Instead she shyly smiled and brought her gaze to their clasped hands. “Thank you.” She spoke softly. “It’s… not as poofy as the other dresses we saw.”

Sora laughed, making her smile grow. He squeezed her hand in his. “Yeah, but… I really like this one.”

“Me too,” she managed to bring her eyes up to him.

Their smiles grew the longer they looked at each other, until Sora cleared his throat and pointed over his shoulder. “Um, we should probably get to the ball.”

“Lead the way,” she told him, coming forward and linking her arm through his. As Sora began walking back towards the door he came through, she spoke up with a whisper. “And Sora..?”

“Hmm?” he hummed.

“You look really great, too…”


	2. The Night of a Lifetime

A Date to the Ball  
Chapter 2

 

Melodious music filled the shimmering foyer as dozens of couples danced over the marbled floor. An entire orchestra was up on a stage, dark velvet fabric draped behind them as they played romantic classical melodies for the ball. Sweet and savory scents wafted through the air, coming from the long satin clothed tables that lined the walls, covered with scrumptious food. 

Sora scanned his eyes over the festivities, absently listening to Princess Belle as she talked with Kairi, who was still at his side, their arms linked. The moment they had entered the ballroom, they had been whisked away to meet with each and every Princess of Heart. Sora was glad to see each of them safe and sound, however, he couldn’t help but wish he could take Kairi to the dancefloor. Kairi’s sweet laugh caught his attention, and putting on his brightest smile, he looked back forward towards the conversation.

“I’ll have to give that book a read.” Kairi told Belle, a laugh still in her voice. “Thank you for telling me about it!”

Belle recovered from her own laughter as she replied, “Of course!” She glanced at Sora, noticing the distant look in his eyes. She brought her hand to her mouth, lightly snickering as she informed Kairi. “It seems Sora is growing a bit restless, I’ve seen that look before. I better let you go.” She sent Sora a knowing wink as she turned and left.

“Was I that obvious?” Sora asked, making Kairi giggle.

“It’s alright,” she assured him, turning and bringing him away from the other Princesses as she added with a whisper, “I was starting to feel the same way.”

Sora smirked, looking out amongst the dancers as a song came to an end. The couples clapped politely and happily, causing Sora to come to a stop.

Kairi looked over at him in surprise. “Sora…?”

Taking in a sharp breath, he looked to her with a flush and a cheeky grin. “Kairi, dance with me!”

Her eyes widened for a moment, before her expression transformed into a smile. “Of course!” She chimed, her heart fluttering with nerves and excitement as Sora led them to the dance floor. 

They mixed among the crowd, stopping to face each other. The jitters in Sora’s heart became obvious as he awkwardly laughed and tried to get into position. Kairi laughed as well, grabbing his hand and placing it along her waist, before bringing her hand to his shoulder. 

“I’m-uh, probably not going to be too good at this.” Sora admitted, his grin wavering.

Kairi giggled, stepping just a bit closer to him. “I don’t mind. It’s… just nice to be here with you.”

Sora darted his eyes from their feet to her face, his heart swelling at the warmth in her cheeks. “Y-Yeah,” he agreed, hearing the music beginning to play.

He stepped forward, trying to keep his eyes from wandering to their feet. Kairi stepped back in sync, keeping them moving as they began to waltz along with the rest of the dancers. They twirled, almost floating around, not even taking mind that they weren’t exactly moving to the rhythm of everyone around them. Sora’s jitters began to melt away as he held Kairi a bit closer, everything else seeming to fade away. Their eyes were locked, their smiles growing into goofy grins until they started to laugh with each other.

Sora released his hold on Kairi’s waist, putting up their clasped hands and spinning her around. Her dress shimmered from the graceful movement, completely mesmerizing as she came back into Sora’s arms.

Song after song passed as they twirled and danced over the marbled floor. As they grew more comfortable, they began to talk over every little thing they could think of, laughing freely and allowing their true selves to show. As the fifth song came to a close, they finally came to a stop, following suit of the rest of the dancers and politely bowed to each other, struggling not to giggle.

Coming forward, Sora grabbed Kairi’s hand, leading her off the dance floor. “That was great!” He chimed.

“It was,” Kairi agreed, a bit of a sway still in her step. “Like a dream.”

Sora smirked over at her, before noting, “Well, it is called the Ball of Dreams.”

Kairi giggled, “I suppose that’s true.”

They walked in silence for a moment, absently making their way to the food covered tables. Sora looked down at their clasped hands, his heart fluttering at how comfortable her hand felt in his. “I’m… really glad we got to do this, Kai.”

“I am, too.” Kairi met her eyes with his, a sweet smile on her lips. “We haven’t gotten a lot of alone time together since I started training."

Sora let out a breathy laugh, his face warming as he broke their locked gaze. “Yeah, we’ve both been really busy. Um…” he rubbed the back of his neck, “We should ask Master Yen Sid if we can have more missions together.”

“I’d like that,” Kairi squeezed his hand. “But... “ she giggled a bit nervously, “I wouldn’t mind having alone time with you that wasn’t part of a mission.”

Sora’s heart jumped, “Y-yeah?” He looked back at her, their eyes meeting and the blush on their cheeks deepening. His smile grew into a grin, “I’d like that, too!”

Kairi kept her gaze on him, even as Sora looked back forward. Taking in a breath, she suddenly went up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss against his cheek. Sora froze, his entire face turning a deep red as his eyes widened. Without waiting for his response, Kairi tightened her hand around his and ran forward, giggling.

“K-Kairi!” Sora stammered with a laugh, being pulled behind her.

She stopped in front of a long table filled with all sorts of royal food. Releasing Sora’s hand, she grabbed a plate and spun around, handing it to Sora with a smirk. Sora gave her a look as he took the plate, shaking his head with a chuckle as they began grabbing tasty treats.

They tried to get a bit of everything, breaking out laughing when Sora inevitably put a couple carrots in his mouth and pretended he was a walrus. Once their plates were full, they found a more secluded corner and enjoyed their meals, the previous nervous tension between them whisked away once more. 

Once they were finished, they made their way outside to the castle garden. The sun was completely gone, the moon full and bright amongst the blanket of stars. Their arms were locked as they walked, taking in the calming atmosphere around them. Coming up to a stone fountain, Kairi unlinked her arm with Sora’s and sat along the edge. She carefully took off one of her shimmering gloves before gently dipping her fingertips into the crystal water. 

“We should be heading back soon,” she commented with a soft voice, her eyes focused on the ripples in the water.

Sora felt his heart sink, realizing they would need to head back to reality. Swallowing, he nodded, “Yeah, you’re probably right…” he came and sat beside her on the fountain, absently watching her play with the water.

“I’ve had a wonderful time,” she told him, looking up with a sweet, yet sad smile.  
Sora met her smile, but it fell as he looked back to the water. “There’s… part of me that wishes this could last forever.” 

“Me too,” she admitted, looking him over as the butterflies inside her fluttered. “You know… growing up, I always loved our friendship.” She averted her gaze when Sora looked up at her. “I never wanted it to change… everything was perfect.”

“Yeah, me too.” Sora agreed with a light laugh, he smiled fondly at the memory. “You even told me to never change right before we left the island.”

Kairi laughed softly, “I thought that as long as we stayed the same… nothing else would matter.”

Sora looked back to the water, seeing the reflection of them under the beautiful night sky. “Do… Do you still feel like that?” When she didn’t respond, he brought his eyes up to her, surprised to see her face covered with a darkened flush.

“I…” she paused, feeling like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. “I’d like it to be more now, I think…” she stumbled the words out, her heart jumping to her throat as she groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Oh, don’t listen to me,” she squeaked, her voice muffled by her hands. “I-I’m being ridiculous!”

“No you’re not, Kai,” Sora laughed lovingly, gently placing his hands along her wrists. His heart swelled from her words, but even more so from her reaction afterwards. He pulled away her hands from her face, smiling sweetly at her blushed cheeks. Without thinking, he leaned forward and placed a short kiss on the tip of her nose. “I...I feel the same way.” he confessed.

Her widened eyes softened, a warmth spreading through her as she felt herself nearly melting merely from the way he looked at her. Closing her eyes, she leaned forward, meeting her lips with his. Sora gasped at first, an electricity sparking through him as his mind scrambled to decipher what was happening. Kairi pulled away within a moment, with a bit of embarrassment. Before she could get too far, Sora brought one of his hands to her cheek, turning her back towards him and closed the distance between them. 

His lips barely grazed her own, as if giving her full control to pull back if she wished, but she instead kissed him back without hesitation. Sora’s thumb gently grazed against her cheek as if she were a treasure he was worried of damaging. They could feel the warmth growing between them, matching the explosion of nerves and emotions that they were finally sharing this moment. 

They hesitantly pulled apart, gazing into each other’s eyes until they both started to smile. Sora’s eyes drifted back to her lips, already wanting more. Just as they were leaning in, a sudden vibration came from Sora’s pocket. They paused, Sora letting out a huff of breath as he was forced to pull away. Reaching into his pocket, Sora pulled out a flat, round silver device that was glowing blue in the center. Pressing down on the light, a short hologram of Riku appeared, crossing his arms.

“Hey Riku,” Sora greeted, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. 

“Exactly how long am I supposed to cover for you?” Riku skipped his greeting, “Mickey’s starting to get a bit worried. What sort of secret mission are you two do--” his voice cut off as he saw Kairi scooting closer to Sora. He looked her over, seeing the formalwear and fancy hair. Letting out a breath, he sent Sora a look. “Didn’t you say you had a super important secret mission?” Riku recalled. “I don’t think that usually includes a date night.”

Sora sheepishly chuckled, “Uhm, well, you see… I might have been a biiiit off.”

Kairi giggled, “Sorry Riku, Cinderella wanted us to attend a ball to celebrate the return of the Princesses of Hearts.” She glanced up at Sora, giving him a look. “Sora said he’d call to make sure it was alright.”

“Oh he did,” Riku sighed, “Just under false pretences.” He shook his head at Sora before looking back to Kairi. “You look great though, Kai. I hope you had a good time.”

“Why thank you,” Kairi giggled again, “And we did.”

“We’re dating now!” Sora blurted out in a small fit of possible jealousy.

Kairi’s face warmed as Riku began to laugh. “Good to know, Sora. Took you two long enough.” 

“Y-yeah well, now you know,” Sora stammered, mentally berating himself for blabbing that out. Clearing his throat, he told him. “Um, but, we’ll be back soon, Riku. Sorry about the trouble.”

“It’s fine,” Riku waved him off. “Just bring me back some cake or whatever they have at those sorts of things.”

Sora laughed, “Will do!”

Riku smirked before cutting the call, leaving Sora and Kairi once again alone. 

“H-hey,” Sora rubbed the back of his hair, “I’m sorry about blurting it out like that.”

“It’s alright,” Kairi giggled, reaching for his hand. “I really should be expecting it, especially when Riku’s around.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sora asked, making Kairi only laugh harder.

Kairi stood and pulled on Sora’s hand, “Come on, let’s go get Riku his cake.”

His faked offended expression melted into a smile as he stood and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek. “Yeah, come on.”


End file.
